Story+1984-07-12+East+Troy,+WI

‘‘Alright….relax, relax, alright (chuckles)….this is uh….give me a little more Nils here….this is a song, anybody here ever been on the New Jersey Turnpike ? (cheers) ….well, I used to, I’d be working up in North Jersey or New York and I used to drive home every night on the turnpike….and uh….used to be like 3 a.m or 4 a.m….(?) and I’d be sitting there in my car….I’d be kind of daydreaming at night, I’d be thinking ….‘bout getting home….thinking ‘bout my girlfriend…but I gotta admit before I was thinking about my girlfriend, I was thinking about a ham-and-cheese sandwich….I used to….I used to play the whole thing out, like, I used to picture myself getting into the house and now I’m going to the refridgerator, now I’m getting out the mayonese, you know (?) putting it all together in my head….and I’d imagine me and my girl kissing by the light of the refridgerator (chuckles) it was very romantic, very romantic….but my girlfriend used to live in one of these second-floor apartments and she had a landlady that lived on the first floor and allowed no, no male guests but she had these little ladders that I used to be able to climb up on real quiet, up to the first roof….‘Honey, did you leave the window open for me ?’ (chuckles)…anyway, I’m driving home and I’m happy, you know, my girl, sandwich….and all of a sudden, I see these red lights in my rearview mirror….so I get pulled over and I don’t have my license and I don’t have my registration….(chuckles) so he goes back and I give him my name and he goes back and gets in the car and then after about five minutes he calls me back and he says, uh….‘Hey, are you, are you that rock and roll singer ?’…I go….‘Yeah, that´s me, that’s me’, you know (chuckles) he says ‘Well, did you write, you the guy, did you write that Born to Run song ?’, I say ‘Yeah, yeah, I wrote that’ ….he says ‘Yeah’, you know, he says ‘I got a couple of your records at home’, I say ‘Yeah, yeah’….he says ‘Well, Son, you’re in a lot of trouble’….so I said ‘Wait a minute’, he says ‘No, you got all these unpaid parking tickets and stuff so’….so he took me in….and held me at the police station for a friend of mine to come and get me….but meanwhile while I sat there….I was inspired….you get inspired at funny times, funny places, you can never tell when you’re gonna be inspired…..so I thought….. (….) Oh, that´s right….there I go….well, they, they finally let me out on my own recognicence…..but they kept my car….so it was about 4.30 and I’m walking down the highway….and I see this little café…..and I go inside….and there´s this little waitress….and she just looks at me and says….‘Don’t worry, honey, ‘cause we’re open all night….”
 * 12.07.84 East Troy, WI, intro to ‘Open All Night’**

‘‘When you grow up….you always seem to find some place to go when everything’s closing in on you…as you get older, sometimes you go back there……I do all the time, end up riding back through my hometown…..everybody’s gotta have some place…..”
 * 12.07.84 East Troy, WI, intro to ‘The River’**

‘‘Take it easy now, boys….alright….is there a guy named Carl out there tonight ?….I don´t know, the guy with the sign that says ‘Are you loose ?’ on it….there it is….I got your letter, it’s upside down now (chuckles) got your letter….this is for all the old-timers….anybody who seen us when we played at the ‘Bomb Scare’ (chuckles) show….what a wonderful night (chuckles)…oh man, this is especially for anybody who’s….who´s, who’s over 30 out there ? (cheers)….woah !….anybody over 40 out there ? (?)…that´s old (chuckles)….almost as old as Clarence…..but Clarence still looks good….”
 * 12.07.84 East Troy, WI, intro to ‘Glory Days’**

‘‘Oh, this is a….song about me and….I had a sister that was a year younger than me ….and we used to fight all the time….when we were kids (chuckles)….and uh, the only time we used to get together would be when my father was gonna take us down to the used car lot to pick out a, pick out a car….and we had, we had that whine that little kids get down perfect, you know, the ‘I want a convertible’-whine (chuckles) ….and we used to get there and we used to find….my father who was….who at heart, at heart he was a convertible-type of guy (chuckles) except he never quite got there, he was always threatening to break loose and buy a convertible (chuckles) ‘cept we’d come home always with a Rambler or a Studebaker or (chuckles)(cheers) now, somebody’s had a Rambler out there (chuckles) just the name, you know, the Rambler, ramble on down the road….well, we used to….we used to go and then, you know, you´d look around and then you’d come home with the old car, could have anything we wanted as long as it didn´t cost more than 600 dollars and uh….we used to get out revenge, though, we, we found the perfect place in the backseat where no matter what we did, he couldn’t reach us (chuckles) when he was driving, ‘You kids, oh, oh’ (chuckles) used to get him going nuts….well…..if you drove here in an old one tonight, they still have old ones, don’t they ? (chuckles)….”
 * 12.07.84 East Troy, WI, intro to ‘Used Cars’**

‘‘I was watching television the other night and….I guess it was around Fourth of July….and uh….you know, it was on late night news, they had a little sequence about people who had just got their American citizenship that day….and uh….you know, it made me think that it was something that, uh, when you get born into it, sometimes you don’t, you don’t think that much about it, I know I never thought that much about it….and uh, I wrote this song which I thought was a song about the town I grew up in ….but uh, I guess, in the end, was just a song about coming to grips that there are responsibilities of, uh, of being an American….and how….and how, and how what happens here, what happens here in our country or overseas happens in our name and we all kind of bear….the shame and the glory of it all…..”
 * 12.07.84 East Troy, WI, intro to ‘My Hometown’**

‘‘Thanks….(chuckles) this is a, this is a song for an election year….”
 * 12.07.84 East Troy, WI, intro to ‘Man at the Top’**

‘‘Now, some folks, they don’t want, they don’t care about who’s gonna be the man at the top, what they want is a pink Cadillac….but to ride in that pink Cadillac….first you must be loose….am I getting there ? (?) I am…..well….now, they say way back, in the beginning of….before our history….there was a place called the Garden of Eden….and in the Garden of Eden…..there was a man and a woman….and there was lots of trees…..and on one tree, there was an apple….supposedly the woman picked the apple, the man took the bite and we’re sitting back outside here tonight (chuckles) ….now…I often consider would I rather be in the Garden of Eden or would I rather be on Earth….now, to some, that may be an easy question….but if you think about it ….no air-conditioning….no cheese burgers…..mosquitoes ( chuckles)….and you would never get to see Clarence wear his suits…..that tips the scales right there (chuckles)….a bunch of Earth men up here….and Earth women (chuckles)….” ” ‘‘Ladies and gentlemen…..tonight on our stage we have a huge galaxy of stars, beginning at the far left….the most intelligent member of the band and the only member with a full high school diploma, that’s….that´s right, let’s hear it for education and Professor Roy Bittan….and back on the vocals, from Asbury Park, New Jersey, Miss Patti Scialfa….on the drums, the man with the heat and the beat, the author of ‘The Big Beat’, Mighty Max Weinberg….on the bass, coming up with the thunder from down under, Mr.Garry W.Tallent….on the organ, the most mysterious member of the band….he’s been in the group since 1968 and he hasn´t spoken more than ten words to me, alright, Phantom Dan Federici on the organ…. and….a man who´s brought you rock and roll for ten years, on the guitar, drumroll please, Mr.Nils Lofgren (Nils does his stunt on the trampoline) woah, that´s incredible….and now last but not least….that’s right….a close personal friend of mine….how can I say it ?….he´s the king of the world, we know that….he´s the master of all things, we know that…..he´s the emperor of the entire universe, known and unknown, we know that….so all I can say is gimme a C-L-A-R-E-N-C-E, what´s that spell ?….what’s that spell ?….what´s that spell ?….the Big Man, Clarence Clemons on the saxophone…. ”
 * 12.07.84 East Troy, WI, intro to ‘Pink Cadillac’**
 * 12.07.84 East Troy, WI, middle of ‘Rosalita’**

‘‘I lived in a little town where there was nothing going on and….you didn´t seem to get the information you needed to get out and rock and roll came jumping out of my radio and said, uh, said one thing to me, it said ‘Let freedom ring’….and uh, that´s what this is all about so….but remember we gotta fight for it….”
 * 12.07.84 East Troy, WI, intro to ‘Born to Run’ **

‘‘Wait a minute now !….wait a minute….hold on there…..I’m so tired…..oh, but yes, folks (chuckles) I’m so tired….you must be tired….you´re gonna miss that ‘Cannon’ re-run (chuckles) I’m telling you now, saw it last night…..gonna miss ‘Hawaiian Eye’ (chuckles)…..oh boy….I’m so tired…..that….we have gotta…..stop the beat…. (cheers) I’m feeling a little better (chuckles)…..alright, hold (?) now boys….oh, I was laying in my bed….on a nice summer night like this….had my girl in my arms…a little breeze coming through the window…..and off in the distance I heard….I heard a train….I tried to roll over and go back to sleep….but I heard…..and it was saying ‘Come on….pack your bags…..say goodbye’….I heard a train coming down the track….I heard a train coming down the track….and it was taking me away, don’t know if it´s gonna bring me back….I heard a train coming down the line….I heard a train coming down the line….yeah, it´s taking me away, gonna leave my little baby behind….(?)….the conductor was dressed in black….he said ‘I’m taking you away, Son, and I may never bring you back’….St.Paul….all aboard….Cincinnati….all aboard…..Cleveland….all aboard…..Wisconsin….all aboard….all aboard…. all aboard…. all aboard on the night train….all aboard….all aboard….all aboard….”
 * 12.07.84 East Troy, WI, middle of ‘Detroit Medley’**

//Compiled by : Johanna Pirttijärvi//